Designing smart, meaningful SHMUPs

While working on my current project at Himeki Games, An Oath to the Stars, I’ve been playing tons of SHMUPs and trying to find a set of rules to design fun, meaningful levels. When you first think about this, level design seems to be just about throwing random enemies at the player frantically. The truth is actually much different.

After countless hours dodging bullets and shooting enemies, I’d like to share with you my findings.